INTRO
Every year, our school would do testing to determine incoming kindergarten students’ readiness. The kids would file through the door all looking like little adults with the cutest outfits. Some were giddy with excitement to be starting school; others were a little nervous, and still some would cry and cling to their parents. We had a brief test that examined many components of development and gave a brief overview of their skills. This test showed some large categories that students should know, and I will dive deeper into some of these areas. One prompt asked students to sing the alphabet and identify letters. Another asked students to count certain numbers of blocks, and then say what number came before, after, and between a certain number. Another test asked students to identify colors and to do handwriting. One test involved social stories, where a student would tell the teacher what should be done in a variety of situations. Yet another analyzed speech and articulation. This list shows some of what a child should know before kindergarten. What can this test teach us about the core areas to focus on?
READING PREPAREDNESS:
Although many students do come to school knowing how to identify letters and letter sounds, there are many who do not. Unfortunately, not being prepared for school automatically puts children at a disadvantage. This may continue throughout their schooling as the gap often widens, even as children receive instruction at school. One of the most important ways to prepare students for success in reading is to read to your children because of the multiple skills it helps to foster. It will expand their vocabulary, language, and cognitive skills. Children learn about interacting with others. In addition,it helps them develop a love for learning and reading. Early reading success is predicted by a variety of other factors, namely phonemic awareness, phonics, etc., which I will cover in a different post.
MATH READINESS:
Many people associate learning math with memorizing math facts and being drilled on those one minute fact tests. Strangely enough, mathematicians and those who do math as a profession rarely see anything of the sort. They often describe math as beautiful. Rarely do our students or children think of math as beautiful. One of the greatest things to prepare our children for math is their mindset. Parents can have an impact on their child’s math achievement just by their own perspective of math. If you fear math, you are not alone, but never let your child know that or they may learn to fear it, as well. Practically speaking, early mathematic success includes conceptual understanding in areas, such as subitizing, one-to-one correspondence, finger perception, etc., which I will cover in a different post.
LANGUAGE PREPAREDNESS:
Language refers to the ability to communicate. Receptive language is the capacity to understand spoken, signed, or written communication. Expressive language connotes the ability to express oneself. Our children have been developing language skills since birth, or even before, as there is evidence that newborns recognize their mother’s voice. We are excited when they speak their first word or respond when they hear their name. What do we mean by language preparedness? In order to be ready for school, children need a good language foundation. They need to be able to follow directions, answer questions, understand and use a large vocabulary, formulate and express thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Clear speech and using an appropriate tone of voice are also important.
SOCIAL PREPAREDNESS:
Sometimes social and emotional preparation is the last thing on our mind when trying to get children ready for school, even though it is arguably the most important aspect. Children need to develop a way to understand their own emotions and those of others. This is important for emotional regulation and academic readiness, as it is very difficult to learn anything when emotions are out of optimal range. In fact, emotional and social factors predict success throughout a person’s life. How do we prepare children to develop those social and emotional skills? This is often achieved through modeling and sometimes explicit teaching, which I will cover in another post.
References:
Boaler, J. Parents’ Beliefs about Math Change Their Children’s Achievement. Retrieved from Stanford Graduate School Education Youcubed:https://www.youcubed.org/resources/parents-beliefs-math-change-childrens-achievement/
Gross, D. (2016). Kindergarten readiness a barometer for long-term success, study finds. Retrieved from John Hopkins University School of Nursing: https://hub.jhu.edu/2016/03/25/jhu-nursing-study-kindergarten-readiness
MacCann C., Jiang, Y., Brown, L., Double, K., Bucich M., & Minbashian A., (2019). Emotional Intelligence Predicts Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Retrieved from the Psychological Bulletin American Psychological Association:https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-bul0000219.pdf
Sucena, A., Garrido, C., Marques, C., & Lousada, M. (2023). Early predictors of reading success in first grade. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1140823. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140823
Wagoner, K., (2019). The Beauty of Mathematics. Retrieved from Weber State University College of Sciences: https://www.weber.edu/cos/beautyofmath.html
Washington, V., (2017). Reading to children is our No. 1 priority. Retrieved from Michigan State University Extension: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/reading_to_children_is_our_no_1_priority
Xie, F., Duan, X., Ni, X., Li, L., & Zhang, L. (2022). The Impact of Parents’ Intelligence Mindset on Math Anxiety of Boys and Girls and the Role of Parents’ Failure Beliefs and Evaluation of Child’s Math Performance as Mediators. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 687136. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.687136
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